


Buddy's Problem

by CreativeSkull



Category: Bugsnax (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drinking, Friendship, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27941714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreativeSkull/pseuds/CreativeSkull
Summary: Everyone's escaped from Snaktooth, but what happened directly after? And how did Buddy Copperbottom, now ex journalist, help Filbo become mayor? Find out in this short, three-part fic, from the author that brought you Outside!
Relationships: Triffany Lottablog/Wambus Troubleham
Comments: 14
Kudos: 99





	1. Chapter 1

Buddy led Filbo up the stairs, the other Grumpus sticking close as the journalist fished the key out of his bag. He unlocked the door and let it swing open. He felt like maybe he should say something, like _"Welcome to my home!"_. But he was tired, and honestly couldn't care less about it. Instead he stepped aside to let the light blue one in, and then closed and locked the door behind him.

"Make yourself at home." He muttered in lieu of anything else, and made his way to the kitchen. He hoped that maybe something had survived his month long excursion. Anything that wasn't ketchup or chocolate sauce. He opened the fridge, and then immediately shut it at the smell. ' _That's gonna need cleaned out soon. Ew._ ' He went for the pantry instead, and chose a can of Chef Beenopi ravioli. He dumped it into a large bowl and stuck it in the microwave, listening to Filbo looking around his living room/office.

"Wow, you've done a lot of articles. No wonder Liz invited you." Ah, he was looking at the Wall of Paper, where Buddy had put up every article he'd ever gotten published. There weren't really a lot, and most of them had been pulled for being stupid or wrong. But, he had gotten them published in the first place, so onto the wall they went.

"Yep." Buddy replied as the microwave beeped. He pulled the hot bowl out and poured about half into another one. He then grabbed out a couple of forks and shoved a pile of stuff out of the two chairs set at the table. He then sat down himself to eat. "There's food in here if you want it. Real food."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks!" Filbo hurried into the kitchen and sat down in the other chair. Buddy couldn't stop the smirk of amusement when the other rushed and burned himself eating the ravioli. He sobered up quickly though, reminding himself that Filbo hadn't had any truly hot food for quite awhile. Months, even, depending on when the expedition had landed and they had started eating Bugsnax.

Buddy cleared his throat, letting his fork rest in the bowl. "Sorry about the mess." He finally said, feeling self conscious when Filbo looked up at him. "I don't... usually get visitors, and I certainly wasn't expecting anyone right after I got back." He cleared his throat, looking down at the dusty floor. ' _I wasn't expecting anyone ever._ '

"Oh that's alright." Filbo waved him off. "I'm just glad you were able to let me stay here."

"Not a problem." Buddy got up, leaving his ravioli barely eaten. "Let me go set up the, ah, guest room for ya."

He entered the backroom, and as soon as the door was closed he began to panic. There was no spare room. Sure, there was a bed and shelf in here, it had come with the apartment, but the whole room was shoved full of boxes that you couldn't get to either of them. And there was no place else to put the boxes.

"... Maybe he won't notice if I put him in my bedroom. I don't sleep in there much anyways." He grinned, clapping his paws together. "Yeah, that could totally work!"

The door behind him opened, and Filbo peeked in. "Uh, hey, Buddy, is there anything I con do to help?"

"Nope!" Buddy shoved him out of the room, and slammed the door behind them. Instantly there was a crash from inside the room, and he inhaled sharply through his nose, fake smile plastered on. "The spare room is toast!" He informed his friend cheerfully. The light blue Grumpus just looked confused. Both flinched as another, smaller crash resounded from the spare room. "... The couch is a pullout though, and a pretty comfortable one too. Not the same as a bed, but it's just until the Snax wear off, right?"

"Uh, yeah sure." Now Filbo looked worried, and Buddy feared the situation would quickly spiral out of control. So he just grinned wider, putting as much false cheer into his voice as possible.

"Great! I'll, uh, I'll go get the sheets." He hurried quickly to his room, where he kept the spare bedding. Not that he had a lot of that, but he figured he had enough for Filbo to use.

With Filbo's help(apparently he had the same kind of couch at home), he managed to unfold the thing and get the sheets on. He'd even found a spare pillow for him to use. It wasn't a lot, but it was a functional bed, and would work for the few days he needed before heading back home.

... And then it'd be back to being alone for Buddy, drinking the nights away while desperately trying to find his story of a lifetime. He wondered if that was how Lizbert had felt, before she found out about Snaktooth. He almost wished he could ask her about it.

Speaking of, once Filbo had settled, Buddy pulled out all the interview tapes he'd collected. He laid them out on his bed, then grabbed a notebook and pencil to start drafting the article. Surely, surely this would take too long.

()()()()()()

Filbo wasn't sure what to think of Buddy's apartment. It was a mess, that was for sure, but the kind of mess made by someone who didn't care about cleaning. Or who was too drunk to clean. He'd noticed the cans scattered around. Some were piled up in small pyramids, but most were just tossed in the corners. None seemed broken, thankfully, he didn't want to worry about either of them stepping on broken glass.

Still, it didn't paint a very nice picture of what Buddy's life was like. And it made him wonder what might happen when he inevitably went home once the Bugsnax wore off. He'd have to give Buddy his phone number, and the numbers of the others too, just to be safe. Then he'd have more options for entertainment besides cheap beer.

Yes, it was a good plan Filbo thought as he settled in to go to sleep. 

When he woke up the next morning to Buddy in the throes of a caffeine induced panic attack, rambling about how everyone was doomed to become Bugsnax, he figured he had his work cut out for him. 

First things first, calm Buddy down and get some coffee for himself. Second, find out just what Buddy was talking about. Which turned out to be that no matter what angle he went with, more Grumpuses would go to Snaktooth Island and be assimilated.

Okay. Filbo could work with that.

It didn't take long to go through Buddy's notes while the orange Grumpus was asleep on the couch and find something they could do. The volcano was almost too obvious. It was in the midst of erupting when they left, and maybe they could exaggerate how bad it had been. Shouldn't be too hard to get in contact with the others and redo a few interviews. Buddy agreed, once he woke up again, and the two of them got started.

It took almost a week to get all the interviews done, and that was without interviewing everyone. Triffany, Floofty, and Snorpy were the ones they needed to "prove" the volcano had been a ticking time-bomb, and they were all happy to help. Wambus and Chandlo were given interviews about Liz, since they were there and to  
help fill out the article. Beffica appeared once she found out what they were doing, and demanded a redo of her own.

And, while they couldn't get their interviews, Filbo did call the others with Beffica's help to tell them the cover story. No Bugsnax, only a volcano. It had just been a con that Liz had done, in an attempt to get people for her settlement, before she got in over her head and fell into a chasm. Not a lot of people liked throwing her under the bus, Filbo included. But, it was that or let more people be assimilated by the Snax, and he refused to let that happen.

Put like that, even Gramble could get behind it, though he did so reluctantly. It still didn't feel right, but Filbo couldn't see another option, and neither could anyone else.

By the time the article was done, with new interview tapes and everything, the Snax Filbo had eaten had worn off and he looked just like he had before. The day he woke up looking completely normal, Buddy made the call to his boss to set a time to turn in the article. 

Together they went up to Ms. Clumbernut's office, and handed off the article. She read it, praised Buddy for it, and then informed him that not only had he been fired since before he'd left for Snaktooth, but she'd done her best to get him declared dead.

"Might want to get that fixed." Was all she'd said as she left the room, taking the article with her. Buddy stared after her, with wide eyes.

"Well, that wasn't... ideal." Understatement of the century. Better change the subject. "So, I hear the elections are coming. I-I was thinking of running for Mayor." He grinned when Buddy turned back to him. "I could use a helping paw. How about it?"

For a second, Buddy hesitated. He didn't know anything about mayoral campaigns. But, then again, he had helped everyone else out, one way or another. What was one more? "Sounds good, Filbo!" He agreed with a smile, one that Filbo eagerly returned.

"Great!" He said, leading the way out of the office. "I have so many great ideas for this. I can't wait!"

Buddy couldn't wait either. He had no clue how he would be able to help, but he could figure it out later. For now, he was just happy to be useful again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Part two is done! Part three probably isn't gonna be until after the New Year, though, but it should be the final part.
> 
> Enjoy the story, and have a Merry Christmas! :D

As it turned out, being a campaign manager was pretty difficult, especially when Buddy had to travel to a whole different town for it. Filbo lived in a small farming town called Kinsing. Several other members of the expedition lived there too, though Wiggle, Gramble, and Cromdo lived in Gippsenburg. Either way, apparently Filbo wasn't very well known, having moved to Kinsing recently.

That was useful, and Buddy could totally work with that.

First was getting him nominated, which was easy as anyone could throw their name in. Filbo actually did that himself, though he needed some coaxing from Buddy to actually put it into the box. They then went out for burgers( _not_ Bungers, thankfully) afterwards. They were joined by Beffica, who was shocked that Filbo was running for a real political position.

"Like, seriously? That's awesome you squeeb!" She gave him a soft punch to the arm, which he winced at. She didn't notice, or maybe just ignored it. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Well, I mean, I ended up doing pretty good back at Snax- on Snaktooth, so I figured I might as well try for the real thing." He told her, rubbing the soon-to-be-bruise. "Worst thing that could happen is I'll lose to Robbzoni."

"Ugh, Robbzoni. He's the worst." She helped herself to Buddy's fries, even as he tried to yank the plate away from her. "He's the real reason we don't have anymore flowers by the roads. He kept stealing them, so eventually the town stopped replacing them."

"How the grump did you find that out, Beff?" Buddy asked before shoving the whole handful of remaining fries into his mouth. She just shrugged and went for Filbo's plate instead.

"I snooped, Bestie. Just like I always do. Did." She corrected herself quickly, looking away. "I, uh, used to do that."

"So..." Buddy searched for a new topic. "What do you do now, anyways?"

"Oh, I got hired as a reporter at CGN. It's a bit of a commute, but not so bad." She shrugged. "And my coworkers aren't so bad, either."

Ah, the rival for GNN. Buddy remembered all the fights that had broken out between reporters at events. He also remembered the time he raided their office with some of his coworkers and stole all of their paperclips. It was in retaliation for them stealing all the rubber-bands at GNN. Which was to get back at them for stealing all of CGN's staples.

Good times.

"Here." He dug out a bottle of pepper-spray and handed it to the shorter Grumpus. "You'll need this."

"Uh." She looked between him and the large canister. "... Thanks. I think."

"No problem." He took a long drag on his soda as the conversation drifted away from him. Which was just fine, as he was busy brainstorming anyways, writing down plans and ideas into his journal. So far he didn't have a lot, but he'd talk to Filbo about it later and see what they could do.

Maybe a party? Filbo always seemed to like them, back on Snaktooth, so maybe that would be a good way to win him some votes.

The rest of the time passed by in a blur. Events were held, debates, parties, even a couple of bake sales that reminded Buddy of his school days. Speeches were made, each carefully crafted to have the best effect on the small populace of the town. 

Wambus was actually a big help with that. As a farmer himself, he knew what to say to get and keep the farmers on Filbo's side. So they ended up conferring with him a lot, which meant going to his and Triffany's house a lot. 

He was a surprisingly good cook, honestly. The meals they shared there were some of the best Buddy ever ate. He really would miss those nights when everything was done here, but that was no reason not to continue the "quest" for Filbo.

It was one such night, where Wambus had grilled some delicious steaks and corn on the cobs. He also had some homegrown sauces that he'd brought from Snaktooth, which made Buddy a little uneasy. But, the older farmer seemed to know what he was doing with that so he let it go for now.

"You seem to be getting pretty popular, dear." Triffany was saying to Filbo as Buddy doodled in his journal. He flipped it around to show Wambus his idea of a steak-based Bugsnax, only for the farmer to just grunt in acknowledgement. That was good enough for him though and he put the book aside to eat some more.

"Heh, yeah." Filbo rolled his corn on the cob in some butter. "It's all thanks to Buddy, though. He's doing great on the whole 'campaign manager' thing."

"It's not that hard." Buddy shrugged. "Not like you're running for Minister of the Public or something. It's just a few events to plan, and, like, two debates."

"True, but it still seems like a lot of work." Filbo actually looked kind of concerned, but Buddy waved it off.

"It's... it's really not." He told them, even though it kind of was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a full night's sleep, but it was definitely before Snaktooth.

"It would be tiring to be around all those people all the time." Wambus agreed. "I could never do that."

"Of course not, dear." Triffany agreed. "That's why you're a farmer."

"Yep."

Buddy watched the exchange with a small smile as Filbo took over the conversation, asking after the sauce crops. Whatever problems the couple had, he was glad they were working them out. He didn't want to even think about what would've happened if their marriage had broken up like...

Well, it wasn't good to dwell on it.

Wambus was right though; it was tiring being a campaign manager. He was almost glad the elections were ending soon, if only so he could get some more sleep. And then focus on finding a real job, as his savings were starting to run a little dry.

Still, as he watched his three companions, he felt content with how it was shaping up. Filbo was excitedly explaining all his plans for being Mayor, from replanting the flowers around the walking paths to finally getting the pot holes fixed. He even started explaining his plans to renovate the park in detail before Wambus finally reminded him to actually eat his steak.

"Oh, heh. Right." He cut a piece off, then opened his mouth to keep talking. Buddy took the opportunity to grab his wrist and shove the fork into his mouth.

"Eat it." He told him firmly, to quiet giggling from Triffany. Filbo shot him a glare, but obeyed, chewing quietly. Buddy then grabbed a forkful of his own steak to chew on, ignoring Triffany's pointed look.

The rest of the night passed without incident. In Buddy's opinion, it ended too soon. But then, it always did. And soon enough Buddy was back at his table in his apartment, drawing up more plans for the campaign. Luckily, the people seemed to really like Filbo. Or maybe they just hated Robbzoni that much more. Either way, according to the mid election survey Filbo was looking to be the popular candidate.

Still, he couldn't relax yet, there was still too much to do. The election itself was tomorrow. People would vote in the morning and the results would be announced both that afternoon, and in the next morning's paper. There would be one last speech before the vote though, and Buddy wanted to make sure it was perfect.

However as the time got later, and he had started the speech pretty later anyways, he found himself unwillingly drawn into sleep. Even as he tried to fight it off with copious amounts of caffeine, he inevitably passed out.

When he woke up, it was to Filbo calling him. In a panic, he grabbed his papers and raced out the door, practically flying down the stairs and into his car. He broke several traffic laws, but he managed to get to Kinsing Town Hall just barely on time. As he ran inside, he tried desperately to sort through the garbled mess of a speech he'd written. 

He made his way to the backstage area, where Filbo was talking to... someone. Buddy felt like he should know the other Grumpus, but his exhausted mind just refused to make the connection. In any case, as soon as the Grumpus had left he was rushing up to Filbo, rapidly spewing apologies all the way.

"Sorry, sorry! I think I still have some time to, uh, to-to fix this? Maybe?!" His voice rose an octave and he quickly cleared his throat and tried to laugh off the rising panic. "I was up too late I think. Working. On this." He gave another short laugh, internally wincing at how off it sounded.

"Hey hey, it's okay." Filbo had to grab his shoulders, forcing them down from where Buddy had unconsciously hunched into himself. "I've got this one." He told him. Buddy blinked in surprise, hands lowering and almost dropping his papers.

"... You... you 'got' this?" Just what did he mean by that? Was Buddy unneeded? Had he been unneeded this whole time?

"Yeah. Since you've been working so hard lately, I figured I'd just, y'know, handle my own speech for today. " He gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, I probably should've told you sooner-Oh!" He jumped at something the Grumpus on stage was saying. "There's my cue! See ya later!" He gave a quick wave before rushing off to get on stage, oblivious to Buddy's aborted attempt to reach for him.

' _He didn't need me..._ ' Quietly, Buddy dropped his speech into the trash. He then went for the snack table they had set up to get some coffee. ' _I don't know why I even tried._ '

The speeches were said, and then the voting happened. The surprising part, at least to Buddy, was that as they each voted the other members of the expedition would come up to them. A couple offered a "Good luck" or two, but none of them really left afterwards. They all hung around, and talked.

It made Buddy feel even more like he shouldn't have come. Filbo had plenty of people to keep him company for this, he didn't _need_ Buddy Nobody did anymore.

So he sat just a little bit outside of the group, speaking only when someone talked to him directly. Other than that, he just drank his coffee quietly and wondered when would be a good time for him to leave.

It turned out never. The others never forgot about him for long enough for him to be able to slip away. Floofty in particular seemed intent on watching him, and they weren't blinking. He knew this because he straight up had a staring contest with the mad scientist, and they didn't blink once. 

Soon enough, voting had closed and the votes were being counted. Poor Filbo was anxious through the whole thing, but never said anything about regretting running for mayor. Buddy was actually kind of proud of him for that, if he was being honest. He knew how hard the light blue Grumpus could be on himself, and he was glad he had gained some confidence at least.

Even if it was just another sign that he wasn't a help to him anymore. That he wasn't a help to anyone here anymore.

But, when they announced that Filbo had won, that he'd done it and beat out longtime Mayor Robbzoni, everyone present cheered. And not just the ones from Snaxburg, either, but everyone else who was hanging around. As everyone congratulated the new Mayor, and the MC announced when the official swearing in ceremony would take place, Buddy gave a quiet sigh into his coffee. Mentally, he ticked this quest as complete, but no new objectives came to mind.

"Hey, Buddy!" He looked up to see Filbo waving at him, and gave a small wave back. "We'll all going to Gramble's place to celebrate. You coming?"

Would he go? No. There wasn't anything for him to do there and besides, he had to get started on job hunting.

"... You guys go on ahead. I'll... I'll catch up with you later." There. Now he could go home and the others could get started on whatever came next for them.

Filbo hesitated a moment, searching Buddy's face intently. Then he shrugged and turned to follow the others. "Well, okay. If you're sure." 

And then he was gone, along with the rest. Buddy put down his still full cup and stood up, dusting his fur off. He went to his car, a tiny little red thing that really needed to be traded in, and drove down the road back to Gippsenburg. He had a stop to make before he went home to his apartment, and then maybe he could finally work on forgetting everything.


	3. Chapter 3

Filbo was having fun. Everyone, was having fun as far as he could tell. While they had, originally, gone to Gramble's place for the party it ended up that Gramble practically lived out of an animal shelter. Fitting, for the short Grumpus, but not very good for a party. So they had ended up moving to Wambus and Triffany's house instead, which meant they could be as loud as they want.

Which Chandlo took as a challenge, of course, after he had had a few beers. As it turned out, the bodybuilder was a lightweight, and Snorpy was currently trying to make him be quiet.

Beyond that, everyone else seemed to be having a great time, chatting among themselves or dancing to the music. Though Cromdo and Wiggle had gotten into a bit of a singing competition, it seemed to be all in good fun.

"Man, this is a great party!" Filbo commented to himself as he sipped at his own beer. He didn't get drunk easily, but he still wanted to be able to drive home. He could easily stay the night, but he didn't want to intrude.

He looked out the window, which had a good view of the driveway. No little red car yet, but it was still early. They'd left a note on Gramble's door, so Buddy would know to come here instead. 

Hopefully, he'd be able to make it.

But, as the night went on and the party ran down, Buddy never showed up. And Filbo couldn't stop the hard, cold ball of dread from forming in his stomach. Finally, he went to where Wambus was arguing with Snorpy on whether he should continue growing and selling sauce.

"Hey, uh, Wambus?" The farmer turned to face the new Mayor fully, ignoring Snorpy even as he kept talking. "Can I use your phone?"

"Why?" He asked, reaching out to shove Snorpy's hat over his eyes. The poor guy must have drunk more than Filbo'd thought, as he immediately tripped over his own feet and onto the couch. 

"Uh, well, Buddy told me he'd come. But, y'know, he never showed up. So I wanted to give him a quick call, and make sure he was okay."

"Sure." He gestured for Filbo to follow, and led the smaller Grumpus to the phone on the wall. He then leaned against the other wall nearby to watch as Filbo dialed in the number he'd memorized, and held the receiver up to his ear.

Nothing, just a dial tone. He hung up, then tried again to be greeted with the same result. He was about to try a third time when Wambus snatched the phone and did it for him instead, frowning at he dial tone.

"Does he usually call people at this time of night?" He asked as he hung up, and Filbo shook his head.

"Not while I was there." He shrugged helplessly, and watched the farmer's frown deepen. 

"I don't like this." He said. "We should go check on him."

"What, now?!" Filbo rushed after Wambus as he headed for the door. "But half of us are drunk!"

Wambus paused, then changed direction to where Triffany was talking with Floofty. "Triffy. I need ya to drive me to, ah, to Buddy's house. He's not answering his phone, and he was supposed to be here." He told her.

Oh dear." Triffany put down her glass of water, worry already creasing her features. "Of course I'll drive ya, Wamby. Gotta make sure he's okay, after all."

"I will accompany you." Floofty spoke up, setting their own glass of water down. 

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Floofty." Filbo told them. "You can stay and enjoy the party."

"Nonsense. You have been drinking as much as anyone else. You need someone to drive you." They reached over and plucked Filbo's keys from his paw. "And besides, our friend may require medical assistance, and I am the most qualified to give it. It's the least I could do for all the help he's given me."

"Oh, uh, okay then." Filbo followed them out and to their car, watching as Wambus and Trffany got in Wambus' truck. He had to give them directions, as Floofty had never been to Buddy's apartment before. But, they did exactly as he told them, and Triffany followed close behind.

They made it there quickly, and parked in front of the old brick building. Filbo climbed out of Floofty's car as soon as they got it parked, and bypassed the intercom system to head straight for the stairs instead. A few seconds later, he heard the others following behind him.

He stopped at the door to Buddy's apartment, and knocked quickly. "Hey, Buddy? You in there?" No answer, and as Filbo went to knock again Wambus elbowed in front of him and banged on the door instead.

"Open up!" He growled out, and Triffany and Filbo rushed to make him stop.

"Wamby! We don't want to scare the poor dear." She scolded.

"O-or wake everyone else up." Filbo looked around, in case anyone tried to come out and yell at them. When he turned back, Floofty was crouched by the door, something in their hands. "Uh, Floofty? What are you doing?"

"Picking the lock, of course." Floofty suppressed a sigh of annoyance. "Whether he's actually in there or not, it's clear he has no intention of answering. Thus, the only way to gain entry is to do it ourselves."

"But isn't that illegal?" Filbo asked. Floofty paused for a second, then chuckled darkly and finished picking the lock. They stood up and to the side, letting Filbo be the one to actually open the door.

Filbo didn't hesitate to enter the apartment, calling quietly as the others followed. "Buddy? Are you in here?"

"Absolutely disgusting." Floofty nudged an empty bottle with their prosthetic. "Was it this bad the last time you were here?"

"Not really." He looked around the room. "I mean, it was kinda messy a couple of weeks ago, but not this bad."

"Hmm." Floofty approached the Wall of Paper, reading through each article thoroughly.

"Filbo? Ya might wanna come look at this." Filbo went to where Triffany was standing by the door to Buddy's "spare room". The room itself was filled with file boxes, one of which the archeologist had opened. It was filled with more folders full of paper, each one with a large red REJECTED stamped on the front. Triffany was looking through one, and Filbo, against his better judgement, grabbed one up himself.

It was an article, one written by Buddy if the writing was any indication. He closed the folder and looked at the REJECTED stamp again, before turning back to the stacks and stacks of boxes in the room. Some of them were regular cardboard boxes labeled with things like KITCHEN or PHOTOS. But the vast majority, Filbo was sure, held more rejected articles.

"Looks like our journalist has been busy." Triffany observed quietly. "Maybe too busy. Has he ever mentioned any other friends?"

"I... no. Not to me, anyways." Filbo admitted. He stared at the folder in his hands as he stood up. "We gotta find Buddy."

"Found him!" Wambus called from the bathroom. The two hurried that way, to find Buddy passed out in the bath tub, Wambus standing over him and reading a bottle. "Looks like he drunk himself into a stupor."

"My respect for him has lowered considerably." Floofty commented dryly as they approached to check his vitals. "At least he didn't try to drive anywhere, or I would have killed him myself."

"Floofty, please." Triffany scolded. "Now is not the time."

"Hmph." They stood up, drying their now damp hands on a nearby towel. "Well, he's still alive, at least. But it would be highly dangerous for him to remain here alone."

"I could stay here with him." Filbo volunteered, and Wambus snorted.

"Not gonna happen." He said, leaning down and grabbing Buddy, hefting him up over his shoulder in a firegrump carry. "We'll bring him back with us."

"Wamby, no. That's kidnapping." Triffany chased her husband down as he power-walked out of the apartment. Floofty and Filbo exchanged a look, then quickly followed them out, the scientist grabbing the keys from the small dish by the door as they passed.

The way back seemed to take less time, though that might've been the alcohol finally taking hold. Filbo tried to focus on what he could see of Triffany and Wambus in the truck in front of them, watching as they apparently argued.

As they pulled up, Filbo noticed that most of the cars were gone. ' _Oh. I guess the others left when we did._ ' He felt a little guilty about that, but it had been quite late already. ' _I hope they all got home okay._ '

Him and Floofty watched as Wambus climbed out of the truck, the grabbed Buddy and carried him into the house. Triffany followed, wringing her paws together worriedly. Beside him, Floofty sighed.

"I'd better go collect my brother and his partner." They said and left the car. Filbo followed and they went inside, where Triffany was checking up on Chandlo and Snorpy, who were laying on the couch. They approached, but when they got close their face twisted into an expression of disgust.

"Really, Snorpington?" They muttered, but settled onto the floor near the couch anyways. Filbo took the chance to go to where he knew the guest room was, where Wambus had set Buddy onto the bed.

"... Do you think he'll be okay?" The smaller Grumpus asked, watching from the doorway. Wambus just shook his head, turning to leave the room.

"No clue, Filbo. But I think it's time for everybody to get some sleep." He said gruffly. "We've got another couch, if ya need it."

"Oh. Thanks Wambus." He was feeling pretty tired, as it had been a pretty eventful day. And, with what they'd found, he didn't really want to leave Buddy alone. He followed Wambus to the second couch, and settled in for the night.

\--------------

"Ngh." Buddy threw an arm over his eyes as light streamed in through the window. ' _Wait, the bathroom doesn't have any windows! Or a bed!_ ' He sat up quickly, then fell back against the pillows as his head throbbed and his eyes burned. ' _Mistake! That was a mistake! Ow!_ ' Carefully, he rolled away from the light and slowly opened his eyes, looking around. ' _Yeah, no. This isn't my bedroom. I don't know where this is._ ' He huffed a quiet laugh that made his face hurt. ' _Snorpy was right, there is a Grumpinatti._ '

As the ex journalist considered whether he was up to fight hordes of possible cultists, the door creaked open, then shut again as someone entered the room. They stopped by the bed, and Buddy managed to turn his head back enough to see Wambus standing there, a mug of something steaming in his paws.

"... How the grump did you get in my house?" Was all he said. Wambus gave a low chuckle, setting the mug down on the bedside table.

"Filbo showed me." The farmer told him. "Drink that when you can. It'll help with the hangover." There was thud from another room, followed by begging and then yelling, thought both were indistinct. "... I gotta go separate those two again. Triffy'll be by to check up on ya soon."

Time passed. Buddy wasn't sure how much, as there wasn't a clock and he didn't have his watch, but he did eventually manage to sit up and drink the... drink that Wambus had brought him. It was absolutely disgusting, so he didn't drink much of it, even if it did help his headache. But eventually, Triffany did come in with some food. 

"Hey there." She said, quietly but cheerfully, holding up the plate. " I brought ya some breakfast. "

"Oh, uh. Thanks?" He accepted the plate, but she didn't leave. "Um, why am I... here?"

"Oh, Filbo got worried when you didn't show up at the party last night. And then him and Wamby got even more worried when you wouldn't answer your phone."

"Uh, yeah. I kinda... stopped paying the bill on that." He told her sheepishly. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to afford it without a job, y'know?"

That was a lie, of course. He'd actually taken the receiver off the hook so none of them could call him. But he wasn't going to tell her that, not when she looked so worried about him already.

"Oh honey. That's terrible." She told him, but he just shrugged in response, feeling guilty.

"I mean, it's not the first time. I get paid for the articles that go out, so if that doesn't happen..." He sighed. At least that part was true. "I just hope Beffica has an easier time of it than I've had."

"I'm sure she'll be just fine, dear." Triffany told him. "Say, if you're feeling up to it, why don't you come eat at the table? Filbo and Wambus should be back soon, and they'll be happy to see ya up and about."

"Sure. Why not." Buddy sighed, and followed her to the dining room. He looked out the windows as they passed, but couldn't see his car. 'I guess they went to go it. I hope they went to go get it.'

Buddy stayed mostly quiet while him and Triffany ate breakfast, though a look at the clock showed it was actually closer to lunchtime. Ah well, wasn't the first time he'd woken up late with a hangover. When he did talk, he kept it away from his personal issues, keeping it on more lighthearted topics instead.

Finally, though, Wambus and Filbo showed back up, with the smaller Grumpus driving Buddy's tiny red car. ' _Finally!_ ' He thought as he watched them climb out and head for the house. ' _Now I can get out of their lives._ '

The two at the table stood as the others came in, Buddy just barely restraining himself from snatching his keys out of Filbo's paw.  
"Did ya boy get everything done.?" Triffany asked.

"Yep." Wambus adjusted his hat. "Threw out all those bottles."

"What?" Buddy deadpanned, then took a deep breath. "You, uh, you only threw the empty ones out, right?"

"Nope." He answered bluntly, and Buddy felt a brief, burning rage before it dissolved into depressed acceptance.

"Fine. Okay." He sighed and turned to grab his keys from Filbo, who held them back. "... Give me my keys, Filbo."

"I think we need to talk, Buddy." He said instead, and Buddy gave an angry huff before just snatching them and stalking out of the house. Triffany and Wambus exchanged a look, while Filbo ran after him.

"Buddy, wait!" He grabbed his arm before the orange Grumpus could reach his car.

"What, Filbo?!" He snapped, turning and yanking his arm away. "What do you want now? Cause what I want is to go home, and try and find a paper that will take me! If Clumby hasn't blacklisted me, of course."

"I..." What to say in this situation? Buddy had never looked so angry before, and Filbo wasn't sure what to do. He swallowed thickly. "That doesn't sound like too big of a problem-"

"Oh no, that's not my problem." Buddy said with false cheer. "My problem is that no matter what I do, I get thrown out like a piece of trash!!" He had started shouting, and wasn't sure when. Filbo looked taken aback, having drawn away when the yelling started. "So now, I'm gonna leave before I get thrown out! Again!" He yanked his car door open and got inside, slamming it shut. Unfortunately, when he tried to start the engine, nothing happened.

"Piece. Of. Shit." He groaned before letting his head fall to the steering wheel. A second later there was a knock on the window, and he turned just enough to see Filbo staring worriedly at him through the glass. Buddy ignored him, so he walked around the front of the car and got in the passenger seat. Buddy cursed his broken door locks.

"Get out of my car, Filbo." He growled, not lifting his head up.

"No. Not until you tell me what you're talking about!" The strength in his tone surprise the orange Grumpus. "... What makes you so sure we're gonna "throw you out"?"

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then Buddy sighed and leaned back, pressing his paws into his eyes. "Why wouldn't you throw me out. Everyone else I've ever met has."

"That can't be true!" Filbo protested. 

"Really? Then tell that to my parents. And childhood "friends". And every single job I've ever worked." He sighed and glared out the windshield. "I'm a terrible Grumpus, Filbo. Everything I try to do, I screw it up somehow. Even when I do something right, I end up doing it... wrong. And if it doesn't go wrong, then it ends not mattering either way." 

"That's not true!" Filbo insisted. "You helped everyone in Snaxburg-"

"And fed them all parasites! I fed you all so many you started to turn into them!" He smacked the wheel, frustrated. "If we didn't find Liz when we did, none of us would be here right now!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay. We all- Most of us made it out okay. The Snax wore off, and we're all fine." He tried to give a reassuring smile, but Buddy just turned away. "Nobody blames you for that. Heck, I don't think they even blame Liz. So, it's fine. Right?"

"No Filbo, it's NOT fine." He tried one more time to start the car, and was rewarded by the engine finally sputtering to life. "Now, get out of my car. I have job applications to fill."

Instead, he heard the click of a seat-belt locking into place. He looked over to see Filbo had instead buckled himself up, and was staring at Buddy with his arms crossed. 

"Oh. My. Grump." He deadpanned. "Just get out."

"Nope! If you leave, I'm leaving with you." He gave Buddy a hard look. "I am not letting you go and drink yourself back into a stupor."

He barked out a short, humorless laugh. "Beffica was right, you really are a squeeb."

"Hey, she said I was the good kind of squeeb!" The tone was light, and kept Buddy from feeling too bad about it. A not uncomfortable silence descended on the two, as Buddy messed with the switches on his dashboard. "... Did you ever think about coming out here?" Filbo finally asked.

"I mean, I could. I don't really know what I'd do, but I could."

"I'm sure we could find some sort of job for you. If nothing else, you could, uh, be Floofty's assistant?" Filbo scratched his head. "Or I could give you a job in office. At least until the next election."

"Sure, why not." He snorted. "What could go wrong with putting me in leadership position."

"... You could be a file clerk or something?" He suggested, and Buddy gave a real laugh this time.

"We'll see." He told him. "Now, get out of my car, for real. I gotta go home, take a shower." He sighed. "Buy groceries."

"Oh, uh. Yeah." Filbo let himself out of the car, but didn't close the door. "Just, uh, don't do the whole drinking thing again, okay? You made everyone really worried."

A pause, and then Buddy gave a reassuring smile. "Sure, I think I can manage that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the last chapter! And if it feels kinda incomplete, that's cause it kinda is. I wasn't able to fit everything I wanted to into this fic, so there will probably be another fic later, focusing on Buddy solving his problems with the help of the others.
> 
> But that will be in a while, cause I've got other stuff to do first, and other fics to write. Until then, enjoy this fic, maybe check out my other fics, and definitely check out Left Behind, written by my friend RoseDragon529 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/28486005/chapters/69800199).

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody, I know I'm supposed to on a writing hiatus right now but I felt inspired! Also not sure when the next part's gonna come out, but I'll have it up as soon as it's done, don't worry!


End file.
